More than one–third of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer showed good response to CRT, with improved local and systemic recurrence rates, especially low rates of pulmonary and systemic lymph node recurrence. Recurrence occurred earlier in the GR than the PR group, and oncologic outcomes after recurrence did not differ between the two groups.

Methods

Response to CRT was evaluated according to tumor regression grade (TRG), with 581 patients categorized into two groups, a good response (GR, TRG 3/4, n=224) and a poor response (PR, TRG 1/2, n=357) group.